The Boy and the Tortoise

Seven-year-old Daniel enjoys exploring his garden with his green canvas satchel. One sunny morning near the tomato plants, he discovers a gentle tortoise about the size of a dinner plate, with a tiny red ribbon tied around one front leg. Daniel wants to keep the calm creature immediately, but his mother sits him down on the garden bench with a clipboard and explains that tortoises can live for over a hundred years, making their care a long family responsibility rather than a passing hobby.

With help from his father, who kept a tortoise as a boy, Daniel learns what the animal actually needs: leafy greens and dandelions, fresh water each day, a warm spot to bask and a cool place to rest, plus a safe shelter with room to roam. Together they build a low fence, a small painted wooden house filled with dry leaves and hay, and a shallow water dish. Daniel plants only tortoise-safe plants his mother approves and records each detail in his notebook. This quiet, practical tale by Jane MEADOW follows his promise to care for the tortoise every day for its whole long life, kept through a feeding and cleaning chart, patient check-ups and gentle handling. Young readers can find it on Kids Tale Book.